TCU Men's Basketball Preview: Iowa State
TCU will host No.24 Iowa State in Schollmaier Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m. The No.19 ranked Frogs enter with a 13-4 record and 2-2 in conference. They are coming into the game off an overtime loss at Cincinnati on Tuesday.
Iowa State comes into the contest losers of their last game against BYU on Tuesday, falling to 13-4 and 2-2 in conference. They are No. 14 in KenPom rankings and No. 10 in the NET, so they are legitimately one of the best teams in college basketball.
The Frogs have defended home court this season at 9-0 on the year so far, but this is one of the best opponents they will play at home all year. These are some of the keys that will be crucial to pulling out the win.
Limit Lipsey
Guard Tamin Lipsey is by far Iowa State's best player and one of the best players in the conference. He leads the Cyclones in points, assists, steals, and plays a very similar style to what Mike Miles Jr. gave the Horned Frogs the past couple of seasons. Neutralizing his production will be massive to limit Iowa State's success as he is the engine that makes them go. Look for Avery Anderson III, Jameer Nelson Jr., and Micah Peavy to be matched against him for most of the game.
Half Court Offense
Iowa State's defense is ranked third in college basketball on KenPom, and they hold teams to the 325th slowest tempo of 362 teams on the defensive end. With the Cyclones effectively holding teams in the half court, TCU will be tested to execute their offense, which has sometimes been a huge weakness for the Frogs. Jamie Dixon will have to cook up some solutions because what they've been doing in the half-court has been a struggle.
Shoot The Three
In conference play, TCU has been the best three-point shooting team in the Big 12 at 40%. With the emergence of Trey Tennyson and Emanuel Miller, it would be nice to see the Frogs keep using their three-point weapons because it has been such a success for them early on. This factor could be huge for having success in the half-court and stretch out what the Cyclones will have to guard on defense.
How to Watch, Listen, and Stream: Iowa State vs. TCU
- Tipoff - 1 p.m. CT, Saturday, January 20
- Television - ESPNU with Ted Emrich and Chris Spatola
- Radio - AM 570 KLIF with Brian Estridge and Collin Boddicker (also available on Sirius XM Channel 384, HFTV, TuneIn, and Varsity)
- Live Stream - fuboTV (Start your free trial)
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